10 Best Project Management Tools for Software Development
Software development projects tend to be complex and multi-dimensional as it involves tons of interrelated and interdependent tasks, technologies and processes. And the project complexity is what makes project management a critical component for teams or software development organisations to ensure success.
From a greater competitive advantage to improved resource allocation to better communication, software project management ensures the execution of all the nitty-gritty details of the software project from start to finish.
Hence to make the most of any software project, there is no other alternative than project management tools. Which eventually makes sense.
What are project management tools?
Simply put, project management tools are a set of software, that comes with a range of features and functionalities to assist individual or project teams in planning, tracking and managing the projects. Specially designed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of project teams, these tools enable them to expedite project completion within defined timeframes and other constraints.
10 best project management tools for software development
If you are looking for software project management tools, you can use the following list as a starting point when assessing the software available on the market.
1. Jira
Jira is an Atlassian product, that performs as a project and issue-tracking solution. It is the #1 software development tool used by agile teams. It is a valuable tool for software teams due to its feature-rich offerings and seamless integration capabilities, which are crucial for efficient agile software development. From tracking bugs to tracking tasks to monitoring features, it can be used for any activity. On top of that, Jira users can leverage products like Jira Service Desk, which has been renamed Service Management and offers support for managing incidents, problems, and changes.
What does it offer?
- Flexible pricing structure.
- Integration with over 3000 tools.
- Agile framework for planning, tracking and managing projects.
- Real-time insights via Jira’s dashboards and reports which can be adjusted accordingly.
- Offers Scrum and Kanban capabilities.
- The advanced roadmap feature lets teams and organisations stay aligned.
- The regular release of new features.
- Track project performance.
Pricing
It offers a free plan for up to ten users every month. But the Enterprise, Premium and Standard subscriptions come with higher fees. To illustrate, the Standard plan will set you back $77.50 monthly. Additionally, the Premium package can cost up to $152.50 per month and the Enterprise plan is intended for companies.
2. Trello
Trello is a simple and user-friendly project management solution. Be it organisations with large teams, or for personal business, the software can be adapted to suit any type of project. It works as a digital bulletin board that comes in a simple card-and-list format. And boards can be sorted by due date, members, category or any sort of custom fields. So, it can be effortlessly used to manage tasks and visualise progress throughout the workflow.
What does it offer?
- It has an excellent free plan.
- Responsive design.
- Features the visual drag-and-drop interface.
- The projects can be seen with timeline, map or dashboard views.
- The workflow automation tools are easy to set up.
- No need to take notes.
- Share ideas, files and images with co-workers.
Pricing
The forever free plan is available alongside the Standard, Premium and Enterprise plans that cost $5, $10 and $17.50 accordingly.
3. Zoho Projects
Zoho Projects is another useful platform that can be very helpful for project management processes. What separates Zoho Projects from other platforms is that its huge platform of applications will let users integrate. It offers a high level of convenience, enabling users to save time through automatic reporting and workflows.
What does it offer?
- Easy-to-use interface.
- Effective file management.
- Native time tracking tool.
- Track bugs and issues.
- Fill out timesheets.
- Supports integration with ZOHO apps and other third-party tools.
- Easy reporting techniques.
- Blueprints workflow creating features.
Pricing
The free plan is available for up to 3 users. The premium plan costs A$7.75 per month whereas the Enterprise plan costs A$15.40 per month.
4. monday.com
monday.com is a project management and collaboration software used across diverse industries by world-known companies like Hulu, Canva, Lionsgate, Universal, Coca-Cola and more. It is a top contender for project management offering collaboration and visibility tools. Equipped with a highly visual interface, the software streamlines team collaboration by enabling users to easily add team members, allocate tasks, create workflows, and monitor progress from a centralised view.
What does it offer?
- Colourful and easy-to-use interface.
- Simple drag-and-drop timeline.
- Great tracking features.
- Provides a timeline view alongside a Kanban board and calendar view.
- Powerful communication tool.
- Allow more than one user to edit a list at any time.
- A long list of supported integrations.
Pricing
It provides a free plan for a maximum of 2 users. There are three other plans. The Basic plan costs $11 per user per month, the Standard plan costs $14 per user per month and the Pro plan costs $22 per user per month.
5. ClickUp
ClickUp is a cloud-based collaboration and project management tool. The unique features, clever customisation and endless integration are what turn it into a high-rated productivity solution. ClickUp can be configured to meet the needs of teams seeking one tool that covers everything from scheduling, collaboration, task management, and workflow automation to reporting.
What does it offer?
- High level of customisation.
- Various viewing options include box view, list view, calendar and board view.
- Integrations with over 1000 tools.
- Full-featured free version.
- Spaces to organise work with customised features, workflows and tags.
- An open communication line for great team collaboration.
- Real-time reporting.
Pricing
The Free Forever plan is best for personal use. And depending on the team’s size, from small to multiple teams, it offers Unlimited ($5), Business ($12), Business Plus ($19) and Enterprise plan as well.
6. ProWorkFlow
With ProWorkflow, you can easily manage project activities such as task tracking, time management, and employee task lists alongside real-time monitoring of progress. It is versatile and extremely easy to use. From start-ups to huge enterprises, for teams of 5 to 5000, ProWorkFlow is one of the best tools to keep track of the software development process. It is best used to track time, send invoices and create client quotes.
What does it offer?
- Board view for a quick overview of projects.
- Personalised custom reports.
- Integrated time-tracking feature.
- Collaborative features allow team members to work simultaneously.
- No limit on the maximum number of users.
- Multiple design customisation options.
Pricing
ProWorkFlow pricing is available in two simple plans. The Professional plan charges $20 per month per user and the Advanced plan charges $30 per month per user.
7. Asana
Asana is another powerful project management tool. It is one of the best platforms for cross-functional work. With this cloud-based platform, users have the freedom to work from any place and work together with their colleagues on any device. The intuitive and powerful features of Asana break down complex projects into manageable tasks, assign responsibilities, set deadlines and track progress in real-time.
What does it offer?
- Easy-to-use program.
- The free tool offers a dashboard and search.
- Generate detailed progress reports.
- Integration includes Jira Cloud, Salesforce, Microsoft Office 365, Gmail and many more.
- Heavily focused on collaboration.
Pricing
Asana offers a free forever Basic plan. The Premium plan costs A$14.99 and the Business plan costs A$33.99.
8. Basecamp
With tools for scheduling, planning, and collaborative work, Basecamp simplifies project management. This platform is straightforward and features everything including a progress board, a message board, a to-do list, project-specific chat, document management and more. It enables individuals, small teams to groups to collaborate on projects or other assignments.
What does it offer?
- Project dashboard to keep work organised and segmented.
- Lots of plug-in services.
- Available on mobiles.
- Maximum document storage to include a variety of documents, files and images.
- Project progress report.
- Great customer support and favourable pricing.
Pricing
Basecamp offers two simple plans. A 30-day free trial is available. The Basecamp plan starts from $15 per user per month whereas the Basecamp Pro Unlimited charges $299 per month (when billed annually).
9. Scoro
Scoro offers a comprehensive work management solution for creative and professional services. It eliminates the need for routine tasks and ensures smooth and efficient business operations from start to finish. Using it, users get an overview of everything including individual workload to reasonable deadlines to available slots.
What does it offer?
- Extensive features list.
- Real-time tracking.
- Customisable dashboard.
- Task prioritisation and scheduling.
- Efficient invoicing.
- Email integration and timesheet tracking.
Pricing
There are four pricing plans available, the Essential plan ($34 per user/month), the Standard plan ($50 per user/month) and the Pro plan ($85 per user/month). The Enterprise plan is for large enterprises.
10. Paymo
Paymo is a cutting-edge project management tool. It usually bundles three different business processes in one and those are task management, time tracking and invoicing. By investing in tools like Paymo, you can manage your projects and measure profitability from one centralised location. It offers an array of built-in collaboration tools to streamline workflow to get you and your team organised.
What does it offer?
- Automatic time tracking.
- Easy-to-use project filters.
- A single Kanban board to view all projects.
- Online invoicing to create invoices from timesheet data.
- Intuitive setup and file proofing.
- Flexibility and customisation.
Pricing
The free plan is available for a maximum of one user. And the other plans are Starter, Small Office and Business which costs $4.95, $9.95 and $20.79 /user/month.
So, here you have looked at some of the popular project management tools on the market.
Even though selecting a project management tool for software development vary from project to project, if you are in search of a comprehensive set of project management tools, then the mentioned tools are worth considering.
